Democratic Republic of Congo Civil War

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            The situation in the DRC right now is a conflict that involves a large part of Africa surrounding the Democratic Republic. This most recent civil war has been going on for five years and it is the government forces of the DRC supported by Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe, against rebels backed by Uganda and Rwanda. There was a peace deal and a new transitional government although people in the eastern part of the country still fear rape, death, and displacement by the army and militias. The war has resulted in an estimated six million lives either from the conflicts themselves or malnutrition. The war is economic as well as political. All of the sides of the conflict are taking advantage of the anarchist government to gather as many natural resources as possible. A rebel leader named General Laurent Nkunda had signed a peace deal with the government but clashes broke out in August of 2008. Nkunda advanced in the provincial capital of Goma causing civilians and troops to flee while the UN tried to hold the line with the help of the remaining government forces. In 2009, the Congolese government invited Rwandan troops to help fight the Rwandan rebel Hutu militias in the eastern part of the DRC although Rwanda arrested their main rival, Gen. Nkunda. In 2013, the UN secured an agreement to end the rebellion in the east and the group's founder Bosco Ntaganda surrendered to face war-crimes charges previously talked about in a different post.
           This whole civil war obviously would cause the civilians, the main victims, to protest. The Congolese government is treating the population of the Congo very unfairly. Many activists have been killed and captured just for voicing their opinion in a "democratic republic". With many citizens displaced, they are not happy with the current situation with the rebels and government in a civil war and anytime they try to protest they are either imprisoned or shot. This creates a huge amount of unrest causing even more people to want to protest.

Four Congolese Pro-Democracy Activists Sentenced to Prison

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          Four people in the DRC were arrested for "inciting disobedience" and will spend six months in prison. They were arrested for encouraging other residents of Goma to protest against the Congolese holding other activists in detention by whistling and banging pots and pans. The official twitter of the organization which these activists were from tweeted, "The condemnation of our comrades is further proof that in (Congo) there is not justice," meaning that this is just more proof that the Congolese government is not just.
         The government of the "Democratic Republic" of the Congo is obviously guilty in this instance. A country can't claim to be a democratic country if they arrest their citizens for exercising everything that is great about a democracy. These activists should be released and I believe the United States should put diplomatic pressure against countries like this. The U.S. should put some kind of economic restrictions to countries like this and Saudi Arabia if there are any existing connections.

Congo Rebel Leader Denies Criminal Charges, Says he was a ‘Revolutionary’

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In the DRC, there has been a civil war between the rebels and the state. The rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda was accused of raping and massacring citizens of the Congo. He claims, though, that he is a rebel, not a criminal. One child who was only 13 years old claimed that being pregnant with one of the senior commanders children was preferable and “a relief” compared to her life before.

Personally, I believe he is guilty. Everybody thinks what they are doing is good in their own way. Hitler thought he was doing the right thing by attempted to exterminate all Jews. This man is guilty for having child sex slaves, sex slaves at all, and massacre.